The Toll
by ADream4you
Summary: The Winchesters are used to ghosts and things that go bump in the night, but a trip to a sleepy valley in New York may be more than they bargained for. The results of opening the hell gate are here and ready for vengeance.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Supernatural or anything related to it. One can wish…

Supernatural

"The Toll"

North Tarrytown, NY

The heavy rain pelted against the windshield of the black Chevy impala, fogging it up till nothing but a small patch of road was visible. Dark Oak trees narrowed in on the car's bright headlights as they tried to catch the jagged turns up ahead. They'd probably wind up in some freakish supernatural event before the night was done, Sam thought. The atmosphere would certainly predict it.

Sam propped his head up against the passenger door. He counted in his brain the number of times the wiper's beat passed him. The New York night was cold and eerily quiet, except for the blare of the Chevy's radio. Metallica could only do so much to soothe the dreary feeling they both shared. The surrounding wind crept through the car's metal frame. The two brothers could feel the icy wind prickle their skin, as the chill seeped down to the bone below. Sam zipped his faded blue sweatshirt to the top as if in a daze. Death seemed to hang in the night air.

"You would have thought they would have put up some _damn_ lights on these roads. How much farther too Hollow? " Dean said as he tried to wake his brother from his monotonous trance.

"Hey, _Sammy_!" Dean reached out his hand and shook his shoulder. It became increasingly difficult for Dean to drive and maneuver through the hellish maze of forest. Grinning, he shook Sam a little harder.

With a jolt, Sam responded. The snap back into reality caused the map and pile of newspaper clippings on his leg to scatter to the floor.

"_Geez_, Dean" fully alert Sam dove down into the darkness of the car floor, feeling for any bit of paper. He became more frustrated when he sprung back up with a mound of crushed newspaper. All his research was screwed up.

"Hurry up, a turns coming! Which way do I go" Dean barked.

Sam flicked on the black flashlight next to him. Quickly, the flicker of light caught the direction they were headed.

"It's the next turn." Sam said glancing down at the half crumbled map covering his long legs and then looked through the spot in the windshield. Ripples of pain ran throughout his skull as he straightened his neck. His head had been killing him for the past couple of days, but thank god the visions had remained absent. Gruesome murders were all he could handle at the moment.

"So what's going on in Sleepy Hollow……….we hunting the Headless Horseman" Dean smirked back at Sam as he slowed the car down for the turn. A green sign straight ahead read "SLEEPY HOLLOW" in bold white letters. The impala zoomed past; the bobbing lights of the Chevy continued down the dreary road to illuminate the nearby motel. A flickering green neon sign swung high overhead, "The Hollow". From the looks of it the o's in the sign were about to go out. Dean pulled into the parking lot. There was nothing but a busted up Volkswagen beetle and a maroon Toyota Camry. The place was as bleak as any other motel they had been too. The Sidewalks surrounding the building were littered with half-torn garbage bags and empty beer bottles. Part of the structure looked like it was going to come down any minute from the way the shingles dangled off the roof. This would be their residence for the next few days, home _sweet_ home.

"_Nice Place_" Dean grinned. Sam remained silent. He was looking out the window, starring into what seemed like endless night. Dean took the hint; Sam wasn't in the mood for Dean's snark.

With its sleek frame, the Chevy slid into the adjacent parking spot in front of one of the rooms. Dean killed the ignition. They both sat in the dark of the car, their breath making little puffs of white in the closed space.

"So, what's the deal with Sleepy Hollow?" Dean questioned Sam, hoping he would show him some sign he was alive. He appeared to have more fascination starring out the window then with anything dean had said; usually it was the other way around.

With a sigh, Sam finally responded.

"There have been several cases of people turning up missing here in the past couple months. They were all found decapitated in the woods, with _this_ scrawled on their back." Sam wrestled underneath the map for the photo of the hideous iconic symbol. He pulled it out from the pile. Sam saw Dean's hesitation in taking the photo from his hand and turned his head to glare at the beaconing "welcome" sign in the main motel office. He glimpsed his brother's face as he starred down at the haunting snapshot. The cocky smile was gone. Sam could still see the burning image in his own head. The red blood etched into a gory sigil surrounded by a strange phrase. It was calling to him, like it had lured him to this sleepy valley in New York.

_What the hell was happening to him_? Sam had seen loads of supernatural occurrences before _but_ … none that seemed to beckon to him like this. In all that had occurred over the last couple months he wasn't even sure of whom he was anymore, let alone what the yellow eyed son of a bitch demon had bequeathed him through blood. _How the hell was he gonna explain this to Dean? Should he? _

The older brother was busy overcoming the slight shock of the picture before him. That shape, that phrase, Dean knew this symbol all too well. It equaled some serious shit.

"_Crap_" Sam heard Dean mutter under his breath.

With a heavy sigh he passed the photo back to Sam, who slid it quietly once again underneath the map.

"That definitely isn't a ghost. There friggin goes salt and burn." Dean commented sarcastically as he jiggled the keys in his hand.

"I know, it's something a lot worse" Sam popped his door open. Dean followed suit.

He glanced at Sam over the hood of the car. The full moon appeared to gleam off the black shine of the impala, intensifying Sam's worried expression. The dark brown bangs hid everything except for his pout. That was Sam, constantly beating himself up, who was he kidding he did the same thing.

"Hey, at least it isn't the headless horseman" Dean forced out a laugh, showing his characteristic grin.

The worry slowly eased from Sam's face.

"Dude, do you still not get that was fake." Sam returned Dean a half raised smile.

"It's a joke geek wonder".

"Oh come on! That's just sad." Sam rolled his eyes. Dean raised an eyebrow to the retort.

"Give me time, I'll think up a new name for your sorry ass" The two seemed almost for a minute to forget about why they were here.

Dean slammed the car door shut; the empty dinging filled the motel lot. Once again a solemn expression echoed in Sam's face, Dean couldn't help but follow the sober tone. They both strolled over to the dimly lit office. All the joy of using a new fake id or any form of joking had been killed by that image, which was still plastered in both their minds. It was no used pretending anymore.

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Blaring yellow rays of light had begun to peak behind the dusty matted gray curtains of the room. Sam sat at the table by the window surround by his lab top and two cups of coffee. Black bags were beginning to develop under his eyes from straining them against the glare of the computer. He scrolled down the different links. Numbness overtook his fingers from keeping them in the same damn locked position.

"Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz", Jiggling and vibrating across the smooth table surface, the cell phone was about to go off. Sam grabbed for it, cursing under his breath. The effort was in vain.

AC/DC starts to play

_I'M ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL………NO STOP SIGNS, NO SPEED LIMITS _

boomed out of the tiny phone. Sam snatched the phone and pressed the silencer but it was no use.

"What the HELL!" Dean grabbed the pillow and jabbed it farther under his head. "Who the hell is it?" he called out to Sam.

"It's Bobby"

Sam had the cell now pressed to his ear as he nodded and scribbled down a few notes on a sheet of motel paper. He snapped the phone shut and began typing the info Bobby had dictated to him into the search engine.

"What does he want?" Dean sat up fully dressed in the bed. He had been too tired to even take off his friggin shirt, so he simply had collapsed on the bed.

"I used your cell to call him about the hollow incidences. I sent him the image" Sam gestured to the phone.

"You were up all night doin' research." Dean rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand. He cracked his back as he pushed off the side of the old creaky wooden bed to stand up.

"Pretty much." Sam shrugged "This helps" he said as he shook the Styrofoam coffee cup. As Dean moved the chair out from opposite end of the table he could see the dark bags under Sam's green eyes. With a quick motion, he took a seat opposite Sam and gathered a small segment of the newspaper research to look over.

"You should have slept, _you look like hell_" Dean sneered at Sam who was half way between another gulp of coffee.

"I feel like it" Sam answered, amid coughing up the liquid he had just sent down the wrong pipe.

"So, What did you find out?"

" Apparently all the disappearances occurred around an Old Dutch Church Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow. The last disappearance was two weeks ago to an Emily Harrison. In that disappearance luckily there was an eyewitness, a John Seabert." Sam tapped the article in Dean's pile of reports.

" What about the picture? That's a demon." Dean took a hold of Sam's laptop and viewed the small horrid picture in the corner of the screen.

" Bobby agrees it's a demon. But not the garden variety possession kind."

" More like ………" Dean pressed Sam to go a little further.

"Bonafide hell kind" Sam swallowed hard. He could feel a slight burning down the sides of his throat.

" Damn it, I knew it" He pounded the table with his fist. Sam put his hand on top of the computer to prevent it from tipping over.

"…meaning a good amount of the demons released from that gate could be on the same level as the one that killed mom." Sam could see the concern rise in Dean's eyes at the mention of that as a possible threat.

"Something is drawing this thing or things here."

On the side post of the bed laid Dean's beat up leather coat. He rose from the table and began to make his way over to the side of the bed.

"We got an idea where it's coming from," Sam alleged as he began to pack up the information and power down the laptop. He tossed Dean the phone, as he was midday between slipping on his jacket.

"Great way to kick off my last year" Dean shook his head as came around the bed, then halted when he realized what he had just said. Sam was all prepared to spring out of the door when he remained frozen on the comment.

" I'll fix it Dean," he muttered softly under his breath as he opened the door. Dean knew that he should have not help to further lay the guilt trip on Sam. The deal was his own doing, and he could just kick himself for even mentioning it.

" I know, Lets go check out the witness." He grabbed his keys off the nightstand and the green plastic room card. Sam was already waiting outside.

Well thank you for reading my first Supernatural fanfic. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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